International

International

Inditex-UDC Chair of Sustainability at the University of A Coruña belongs to the Inditex international collaboration network with universities to break new academic ground and extend research of social issues and improving practice on the ground:

The chair was founded in 2016 to undertake academic research on migration and asylum issues, with the aim of improving support for migrants and refugees on the ground and raising awareness in society. This involves developing project design and the processes of hosting and integrating refugees into European societies.

We helped to set this chair up in 2015 to take a multidisciplinary approach to promoting research and training on disability issues, particularly employment for people with disabilities. With the expertise of professors and professionals across disciplines including law, psychology and economics, strategies will be developed to improve employability and raise employment rates for people with disabilities, which we expect to be applicable in real-world situations. Courses will also be run specifically for people with disabilities to develop the skills and experience needed for the workplace.

With the support of the universities of Santiago de Compostela and A Coruña, the chair has been promoting Spanish language, culture and academic exchanges between the two countries since 2011. The most able students are offered intensive language training in Spain, and cultural opportunities for all students include exhibitions, concerts, conferences, films and everyday activities that promote Spanish culture.

This programme, is set to run until 2019 and will give students to visit Inditex’s headquarters in Arteixo, (A Coruña, Spain) to gain practical experience in areas such as fashion retail management, logistics, environmental protection and sustainable development. It will also include training programmes to support the professional development of academic staff in scientific research and teacher training, and will promote cultural activities for students on the Tsinghua SEM campus in Beijing.

This programme will enable scientists with a proven track record abroad to carry on their research projects at the University’s facilities, thereby improving the latter’s faculty and research capabilities while boosting its students’ chances of finding work. Inditex will contribute €1.45 million to financing the researchers and their specific projects through 2021.